The Morning: The search ends

Plus, Syria, Trump merch and winter escapes.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 10, 2024 By German Lopez Good morning. Today, we're covering an arrest in the killing of a health care C.E.O., as well as Syria, Trump merch and winter escapes. Luigi Mangione, 26. Rachel Wisniewski for The New York Times An arrest For five days, the man who killed a health insurance C.E.O. on a Manhattan street seemed to have vanished. But yesterday morning, a McDonald's employee in Altoona, Pa., noticed a familiar-looking young man eating a meal and called the police. Two officers arrived and asked the man if he had been to New York recently. He became quiet, the officers said, and started to shake. The man, 26-year-old Luigi Mangione, appeared to be the one they had been searching for, the police said. In his backpack, he had a gun, a silencer and a manifesto that, officials told The Times, derided health care companies for putting profits above care. He was charged in Manhattan with murder. The killing, and the dayslong search for the person responsible, brought together three political issues. First, surveillance. The McDonald's employee called the police after recognizing Mangione from images that the police released last week. The police were able to get those images — including one where the suspect appeared without a mask — by combing through hundreds of hours of camera footage from streets, a hostel and a taxicab. Privacy rights activists have criticized these tools in the past. Some thought the police would feed the images into facial recognition technology to find the shooter. But the police credited distributing the photos with cracking this case: Asked about the most important element of the manhunt, the N.Y.P.D. chief of detectives Joseph Kenny said, "It would be the release of that photograph from the media." Second, health care. The victim was Brian Thompson, the chief executive of the insurer UnitedHealthcare. Bullet casings at the scene had the words "depose," "deny" and "delay" written on them, likely references to health insurers and how they treat claims. Mangione's manifesto, which the police recovered after his arrest, mentioned UnitedHealthcare by name and declared, "These parasites had it coming." The killing set off a wave of anger on social media. People used the shooting as a chance to express frustration with the American health care system, and some even hailed the shooter as a hero. Experts warn that the glorification of a killer could help inspire copycats. Third, ghost guns. When Mangione was arrested, he had a 3-D-printed gun and silencer in his backpack, officials said. These ghost guns are cheap and easy to assemble, and criminals have used them to avoid getting caught. Until recently, people could purchase the parts for these firearms online without a background check. And the components typically did not include serial numbers, preventing the police from tracing them. The Biden administration imposed regulations on ghost guns, requiring manufacturers and sellers to get licenses, mark the parts with serial numbers and conduct background checks. But people can circumvent the rules by using online instructions to print and assemble their own parts. What we know about the suspect Mangione came from a life of privilege and promise. He was a high school valedictorian and Ivy League tech graduate. Read more about him. He was from a prominent family in the Baltimore area. The Mangiones own country clubs, a nursing home company and a talk radio station. Nino Mangione, Luigi's cousin, is a Republican state delegate in Maryland. People who knew Mangione in Hawaii, where he had lived recently, said he suffered debilitating back pain and had recently undergone surgery. He fell out of contact with friends and family about six months ago. He also had a robust online presence. On Goodreads, where users rate books, he wrote a glowing review of the Unabomber's manifesto. More on the shooting "I never got the impression he would self-destruct": Friends and family of the suspect were in shock, CNN reports. People have been selling shirts and hats with the words from ammunition found at the scene of the killing. Amazon pulled listings down, The Washington Post reports. THE LATEST NEWS Syria Abandoned border checkpoints in Syria.  Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times The leader of Syria's rebels has vowed to find and punish senior officials in Bashar al-Assad's government, which he just ousted. The Justice Department has charged two Syrian military commanders with war crimes against Americans and others at a notorious prison in Damascus. The roads from Turkey and Lebanon have been clogged with returning Syrians. Millions of people fled during the country's civil war. Israel, Turkey and the United States are still striking Syria. Read why. Trace the 12 days that changed Syria with photos and maps. More International News France's leading far-right politician, Marine Le Pen, helped oust the prime minister last week. She has made her next target clear: President Emmanuel Macron. Cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas are gaining momentum, officials say, after Hezbollah agreed to a truce and Donald Trump ratcheted up the pressure. Lula, Brazil's president, underwent emergency surgery for bleeding in his skull. A volcanic eruption forced a mass evacuation in the Philippines. Trump Administration Limited-edition and autographed Trump high-top shoes. Michelle Gustafson for The New York Times Trump is creating a lot of merch. Everything around him has become something to monetize, including a moment of comity with Jill Biden. More than 75 Nobel Prize winners have signed a letter urging senators not to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's pick to lead the health department. Some voters, mostly young men, went from supporting Bernie Sanders to casting a vote for Trump. What unifies them is disdain for the ruling class. Other Big Stories Daniel Penny Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times A jury acquitted Daniel Penny, a former Marine, of homicide in the choking of a fellow subway rider, Jordan Neely, last year. The courtroom was split and the jury deadlocked, reflecting deep social divides around the case. The federal government is investigating allegations that migrant children worked at a plant owned by the meal delivery company HelloFresh. Rupert Murdoch failed to change his family's trust to consolidate his eldest son's control and ensure a right-wing slant at Fox News. A Nevada commissioner rejected his bid, documents showed. Google unveiled a quantum computer that it says can do tasks in minutes that would take a traditional supercomputer 10 septillion years. An elite New York school knowingly hired a criminal to teach math. Then he began soliciting sexual images from students, a prosecutor says. Opinion Bashar al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in 2017. Illustration by The New York Times; source photograph by Mikhail Klimentyev/Sputnik, via Associated Press With the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, Vladimir Putin has lost regional leverage to Israel and Turkey, Hanna Notte writes. Here is Paul Krugman's last column for The New York Times, on the collapse of trust in elites. The Times Sale starts now: Our best rate for readers of The Morning. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Keiji Nakazawa helped lead a revival of 19th-century sushi techniques. Marissa Alper for The New York Times Chef: One of Japan's great sushi masters is working quietly in Manhattan. Calm in a pot: Houseplants can make you healthier. Modern Love: Days before her son died unexpectedly, they had a surprising conversation about death. Ask Vanessa: "How can I make corduroy look cool?" Hot in here: Are you in perimenopause? The Cut shares symptoms to look for. Lives Lived: Nikki Giovanni was a charismatic poet, activist, children's book author and professor who wrote about race, politics, gender, sex and love. She died at 81. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Cincinnati Bengals eked past the Dallas Cowboys, 27-20, winning in fittingly cartoonish fashion while ESPN aired a "Simpsons"-themed simulcast. M.L.B.: Juan Soto's decision to join the New York Mets was swayed by money, of course, but the owner Steve Cohen's personal touch helped seal his commitment. College football: Four finalists, including Colorado's two-way star Travis Hunter, will travel to New York this weekend for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. ARTS AND IDEAS The Hawaiian island of Oahu. Jake Michaels for The New York Times Looking to take a break from the cold without traveling too far or spending too much? That's doable. Las Vegas is dry, sunny and mild in the winter, and its deserts away from the city are beautiful. San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico, is the gateway to a string of beautiful beaches along the island's northern coast. Read about four other destinations. More on culture "Harlem 1958." Art Kane 58 jazz luminaries assembled for this photo. Only one remains. Sarah Jessica Parker will help judge the Booker Prize. The panelists are often academics. Late night hosts joked about Trump's merch. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Make perfectly gooey chocolate pudding cake in the microwave, and see our most popular recipes in 2024. Become a better runner. Get the best duffel bag for your upcoming travels. Shovel snow with the right tools. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was unknowing. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. 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